Raven - Call of the Departed
by SIEGris
Summary: Raven is currently a Reckless Fist, 5 years after recovery of the El. But recently, something has been speaking from the darkness. Will Raven resist the Call of the Departed?
1. Prologue

**Call of the Departed**

**Prologue: How This Was Thought Up**

_[This part is crucial to the story! Read it!]_

Me: *In room, doing physics. Doing something productive that might actually change the way we think about space and gravity.*

Friend _(Nickname – Prototype)_: **GUESS WHAT!** *slaps my back*

Me: Uwaaah! What the F_! *Marker flies out of hand and leaves slash on Physics Board.*

Me: You butt nugget! This had better be good!

_Prototype_: Weeeeell, you know our little PVP match we had? On Elsword?

Me: You mean the one where you won 5 – 4 by jerking off with an Infinity Sword 4 levels above me?

_Prototype_: Well, remember how you owe me a favor because you lost?

Me: What is it?

_Prototype_: And how you can't write fanfic?

Me: So, what about that - oh. You cannotbe serious.

_Prototype_: Yeah. Now you have to write an Elsword fanfic.

Me: But-!

_Prototype_: Pecking order.

Me: …ngh!

_Prototype_: That's what I thought.

Me: *collapses* Fine! I'll do it, if it will get you off my face!

_Prototype_: Yes! That's more like it!

Me: Can you guess whose point of view it will be from?

_Prototype_: Um, Elsword…?

Me: Nope, Raven.

_Prototype_: AAAAAAW, just because you're a reckless fist?

Me: Yes. Just because I am a NO OF COURSE NOT! It's because Raven is so _beast._

_Prototype_: No, Raven is like, emo! Why would you-

Me: Because I'm Tony Stark! Now, begone, peasant! *Slams the door shut behind him.*

Me: Let's see. So obviously gravity…(my theory censored here)

Raven: Nice save.

Me: Uwaaah! What the F_! *Marker flies out of hand and leaves slash on Physics Board.*

Me: Where did you even come from?!

Raven: The Black Crow. It's hovering over your house.

Me: Wait a minute, this didn't happen! Why are you even here? All right, I'll start the plotline.

Elsword: You _better._

Me: I don't even!


	2. Chapter One - Darkness

Chapter One – Whisper

_-Five years after the recovery of the El-_

I awoke in a small stone edifice outside of Ruben village, shaking sleep off. As I blinked and rubbed my eyes, I noticed that it was raining.

_Perfect. This is the weather that I prefer, _I thought to myself. I got slowly out of my bed and walked outside into the elements.

I stared out into the gray fog and the rain, slowly making out Ruben village in the distance. After all that had happened those five, incredibly boring years ago, the life I had now seemed too…lackluster. There was no El to save, nothing more I could atone for, and all of my friends were scattered, however, they seemed content. So why was I so uneasy this morning?

As the rain streamed down my face, I stared at the cross of bone, suspended on a chain. The cross that represented who I was in being. Or what I used to be, seemed to be ages since I felt that I was what this cross represented, the one who was that most feared of warriors, a user of the Reckless Fist.

Just then, in my hands, I felt the cross shudder, and its shadow began to stretch across the hand of my clawed Nasod arm. I blinked and the shadow was gone.

I sighed. _I'm imagining things, _I told myself, and strode down into Ruben, ready for another day of just waiting for things to happen…the things that would never happen again. I stepped through the cobblestone arch that led into the village, taking in the scenery and the calm.

On my way to begin meaninglessly training in solitude, I was greeted by Lowe. "Greetings, Raven," he politely began. "What do you think of this weather?"

"It is nice to have rain once in a while, even if it is usually fair weather," I replied evenly.

"Well, I wish you good luck on whatever you are doing today, Raven," Lowe said. "Farewell, I must go deal with that William Phoru's apology letters again." Lowe bowed slightly and hurried off to push his usual papers.

I watched him go and continued on my way. _So, then…I suppose that's the most action I'll be getting in one day. _I shook my head and kept up my even stride.

_-About an hour later-_

"3,384," I counted off, as I slew yet another of those phorus. Another jumped at me from behind, but I back somersaulted over its head, pushing on its head with my Nasod arm, and creating an entropic blast. The phoru disintegrated with a pitiful wail.

I landed, shook the hair out of my eyes, and said, "3,385." The rest of the strangely overpopulated phorus seemed to be in hiding, so I simply put to rest the Nasod Core and began the walk back to the village.

As I walked, I began to feel as if someone was following me. I turned around and saw, with my acute vision, a leaf floating toward the earth.

_The leaf's pattern of descent suggests that it was disturbed, _I thought. _I'll just wait and see. _

I continued on my way. Just as I suspected, there appeared to be the sound of someone mimicking my footsteps and trying not to be heard. I stopped completely, waiting. As I listened carefully, I could hear a slight gasp of surprise, and a skid.

As I came across a clearing, I knew this would be where I found my enemy's identity. As I finished the walk across the clearing, I snapped around and brought up my Nasod arm in a hostile stance as I leapt with impossible speed toward my follower. Through the fog, I could only make out their shape, but they carried a staff, which meant I had to close the distance.

I brought down my arm, gripping my follower's face and slamming them into the ground. I heard a gasp of pain…feminine? I loosened my grip slightly, when I realized that they lacked the strength to resist, for some reason. I took a glance at her face…

Her expression was familiar…however, she had to be about 20, but what made me question my actions was the purple hue of her hair. This couldn't be…

The unidentified female looked at me through dazed eyes. "R-Raven?"

A shock ran through me. "Aisha!" I got up quickly.

"How can you…you found me…?" I managed.

Aisha coughed weakly. "Raven…no time…help…" then she lost consciousness.

"Aisha!" I knelt beside her. I couldn't have knocked her out or dealt such damage to Aisha by just pinning her down…so how?

Then I noticed something, a red stain on Aisha's left side. I (reluctantly) revealed a long gash up her side.

_This is not good, _I thought, heart pounding. _With this injury, she could die in minutes. I have to get her back to Ruben…_

I lifted Aisha's form into my arms and dashed back to Ruben. Upon entry, I sprinted to the medical center. "Anyone!" I looked around wildly.

The medic looked up. Then he saw Aisha, and his eyes widened. "What…"

"No time!" I exclaimed. "Please…"

The medic grew serious. "Yes." He took Aisha with him, to the infirmary. I started after them, but he stopped me. "You may not be permitted," he said. "I'm sorry." Then he left.

As I waited, I felt helpless, and anxious, thinking so many things. _Who would do such a thing? She cannot die…It's not right…_

_Not right?_

I started. That voice wasn't mine. _What are you? _I inquired to whatever had spoken.

_I am you._

_You aren't me, _I said, scorning the voice.

_Maybe I am not all of you, but I am a part of you. A part of your soul._

_So if you are a part of my soul, what do I love?_

_I think we both know the answer to that, don't we? _

Suddenly, a pounding headache emerged, and an image of Aisha smiling, five years ago, flashed before my eyes. An image I hadn't conjured myself.

_Get out of my head, _I desperately called. I forced my psyche down.

_I can't get out of your head or anyone else's, _the voice echoed. _I am your deepest, darkest urges. Your primal madness. Your deepest fears. _

The shadows around me collected and swirled until the floor was pure darkness. The darkness traveled up the walls around me, destroying sound and light. I heard the scream of Aisha from right next to me, but across the universe.

_Stop it. Stop…_I desperately urged.

_You cannot resist._

_No…_

_E__V__E__R__Y__O__N__E A__RO__U__N__D YOU W__IL__L B__E T__ORN D__OWN_

The shadows enveloped my body, sealing me completely. Aisha screamed and begged for help, but I could do nothing.

_GET OUT OF ME_, I desperately thought. Then the darkness invaded me, and I collapsed.


	3. Chapter Two - Fear

Chapter Two – Awakening

I awoke in a small stone edifice, and noticed it was raining. Hold on, this wasn't my house…it was the infirmary. I sat up easily and jumped off of the steel-runged bed. I checked my surroundings. The room was easily only 15 meters long, and had a low 7-foot ceiling. The width of the room was only 7 meters long, however, and every inch of the infirmary room except for the windows was cold stone. The light level was, however, high. Sun was easily let in, though it was raining outside at the moment.

_Only slightly depressing, _I thought to myself. _Still, how did I get here?_ Then I remembered. Darkness, engulfing everything around me, Aisha's pained screams…was it real? I scanned the room again. Then I saw Aisha sleeping peacefully in a bed second from the end of the room. I walked over and knelt beside her.

_Thank the gods, she's alive, _I breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, I felt a strange presence hovering around her. It was cold and dark, like…like the vision I had…

Suddenly Aisha's eyes fluttered open. "What…where am I?" She struggled to sit up, but winced and fell back. "Ugh…"

"Aisha, are you okay?" I asked. Strangely, all traces of the cold presence had disappeared since she awoke.

"I'm…as fine as I'll be at this point…" she managed. She looked at me, studying my appearance. "Raven, you haven't changed a bit," she commented.

_I cannot say the same for you, _I thought to myself. _You've obviously matured…_ It was true. Aisha's hair had grown out to her shoulder blades, and she had grown taller as well.

"Wait a minute. That cross on your neck," she said, bringing me back to reality. "Was it always that color?"

I lifted the cross up. Alarmingly, it had changed…to black. Staring into it was like staring into a void. However, at the center, there was a spot of red, which glowed like a fire. As I stared at it, however, strange sounds began echoing. The whispers of fallen warriors and lost ones, willing me to turn back and lamenting over their own losses, echoed through my skull in many tones.

_Give him back…_

_Stop…she's done nothing to deserve this…_

_I hereby sentence you…_

_Please…it doesn't have to end this way…_

_Living hell is coming…_

_HALELUJA…_

_Discord…_

_Jigoku…_

_**KORE WA AKUMA NO ISHIDEARU, Raven…**_

I jumped at the sound of the last one. That voice was…

"_**Madness…**_" the hissing voice came out of my own mouth, as I was in a trance. Then Aisha looked at me in alarm, and I was shaken back. I dropped to my knees in a cold sweat.

Forgetting her injury, Aisha jumped back, and stumbled away. She fell to the ground in her haste to escape, but she tried to drag herself away. When she finally ran out of strength, she gasped out, "_That's…impossible…Raven can't…not Raven…" _

I immediately got up and ran over to her. "Aisha, no…it is only me…" I said, trying to calm my voice.

Aisha looked at my concerned expression, and sighed. "Raven…for a second I thought I heard…" then she shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, I probably need to get back over there," she pointed shakily at her resting place. "So I'm sorry to ask this, but could you carry me over there?"

"Very well," I said. Effortlessly, I lifted up Aisha and carried her back to her bed. I laid her down gently. "So, why were you saying 'That's impossible,' and 'Not Raven?' It was like you knew…what that was." Then it set in. "Wait…where did you meet that?"

Aisha gulped. "It was about two weeks ago when it started. It's a long story, but bear with me…and I shall tell you about the _Call of the Departed…" _

And now, _Prototype's _Reaction to these chapters!

Me: *Listening to Yachatta* Now I've done it!

Prototype: GUESS…WHAT! *Tries to slap me.

Me: *Dodges and pauses song. Whirls around and points forcefully* All right you butt nugget, I swear to god!

Prototype: Chill a cycle, red dharma!

Me: *Stiffens* Red…dharma!?

Prototype: That's _right, _Red dharma (real name censored) . Now how's that fanfic.

Me: I'm so glad you asked! As usual, Raven is being a badass!

Prototype: You _would _think so. *reads for a few minutes*

Me: So?

Prototype: Holy crappoly, you have LIED to all of us. You should write more fanfic!

Me: Maaaaaybe I will. It's actually interesting until people spam romance.

Prototype: Now let's read _other peoples' _reviews of it. :D

Me: Uh oh. *Opens review page.*

_DarkMelt: _Update the first chapter ! XD

_RevolutionizedWorld_: it seems interesting.

Me: In your face, butt nugget!

Prototype: …HMPH!

Me: :D

Prototype: D:

Me: :D

Prototype: D:

Raven: :D

Me: Where the hell did you…?!

Raven: My battleship. It's hovering over your…

Me: House, I know!

Raven: Whoa, this writing is really terrib-

Me: No one asked you!

Elsword: Where am I in this writing?!

Me: Or you!

Elsword: *Levels sword at my throat* You will put me somewhere in this writing or…fill in the blank!

Me: Fine! But if I had my wakizashi, I would so-

Raven: *Punches Elsword out the window*

Elsword: Eyaaaaahaaaahooey… *sparkle in the distance*

Raven: Hmph. Now POST this business.

Me: Thanks, but no, it's not-

Raven: Batter up…

Me: *Scrambles* Fine! Aieee!


	4. Chapter Three - Call of Darkness

Chapter Three – Call of Darkness

_-Two Weeks Ago-_

_Aisha's Point of View_

I awoke in a small house, in one of the alleyways of Elder. Outside, the sun shone brightly and the birds sang. It was peaceful, and everything seemed to be right with the world. Up above, I heard the voice of Echo. I sat up and stretched, yawning and to my surprise, found Elsword sleeping…next…to me…

My scream of surprise woke him instantly. Above the house, I heard someone fall over (sorry, Echo) and the birds were startled from the trees. I just sat back, breathing heavily.

Elsword jumped up in combat stance. "Point to whoever bothered you, and I'll…" he stopped. "You're pointing…at me." Now that shock was gone, I was really flustered.

"Who…you…what…you were…WHY WERE YOU SLEEPING WITH ME?!" I burst out.

Elsword scratched his head. "I'm not sure…I just kind of sleepwalked here…"

"That…is _not _true!" I shook my head, trying to clear it. "You…I…I just…" I promptly keeled over.

_-About 3 minutes later-_

I awoke with Elsword over me. I immediately scrambled back, but hit a wall. "You…agh! Get away from me, you…"

"Aisha, relax!" Elsword's exasperated tone got to me. "Relax, it was an accident! I'm sorry, I never meant to do that!"

I sighed. Okay. "Apology accepted." My mind turned to other things. "So, what should we do today?"

Elsword thought for a moment. "I don't know…maybe we could…no…oh, wait!" Elsword struck an _idea _pose. "I've been hearing strange things about Henir's Time and Space. Maybe we should investigate that."

"I don't know," I ventured. "Isn't that area always strange?"

"Well, yeah, but this is more than usual. I've heard that people who go in are disappearing completely and without a trace, sometimes strange hissing voices are echoing around inside…laments? And people say that some of the strange cubes inside turn black and then collapse into black holes." Elsword glanced to the left cautiously.

"And you're saying we should go there too? Has anyone ever said that your common sense is quite lacking?" I asked teasingly.

"They have, but I choose to ignore them. Ha!" Elsword let out a short laugh. "So, do you want to give it a try?" He looked at me expectantly.

"I don't see why not," I replied. "I guess we can do that later," I said.

"Great! Let's meet at the entrance to the realm at six P.M. I'll see you there!" Elsword bowed and left.

_Strange sounds, randomly appearing singularities, and people who go inside, never to return? _I thought worriedly. _I wonder…what will become of us…?_

_-Six P.M.-_

Finally, after that walk, I reached Henir's Time and Space. And, the punctual man he was (not) Elsword was waiting expectantly.

"There you are! So, you ready to go inside?" Elsword questioned eagerly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I admitted. "So, how far should we delve?"

"As far as possible!" Elsword beamed at me. "Let's go!" I nodded and the two of us stepped into the glowing portal.

It would have been normal, except that we were floating alone, in a cold, black region of space that held absolutely nothing. However, I recognized this place…oh no.

"Elsword, _do not move,_" I felt my voice rise in panic.

"What? What is it?" he looked around anxiously.

"This is an unexplored region of Elrios. Its name is Mugetsu. Nothing exists here…except for the Searchers." I looked around nervously, and realized what I had just said. _The Searchers! No. No. This is horrible. _

"Searchers? What searchers, Aisha?" Elsword asked, puzzled.

"They're horrible. You can't see them, or feel them. You can only hear them. All you feel before they catch you is unbearable cold…" I tried to calm myself. "And they track you by the kinetic remnants produced by any and all actions you perform. When they catch you, you lose your soul to Mugetsu…and you become one of them…" As I remembered these facts, the prospect of my fate became dizzyingly clear to me. And I didn't like it.

"What do they sound like?" Elsword asked, obviously as scared as I was.

"They sound…" I stopped as I heard a terrible sound, a whispering moan, as if darkness could speak, echoing through the formless void. "Just…like…that."

"Aisha, is there any way to escape Mugetsu?" Elsword took authority, despite the fact that the echoes were still audible. Apparently the Searchers had not noticed us yet.

"I've heard that the realm can only take something with such matter as us for 5 minutes…but it's only been two and a half, and the Searchers are probably only 30 meters away, by our physics…" I realized then that we would not escape their notice. "However, if we don't move very majorly, they might not notice us."

For a minute of unbearable silence, the echoes continued. It didn't seem likely that the Searchers would leave, and for one terrifying moment, it seemed that they were approaching. But then, the echoes began to fade away, and the cold lessened. But then, the unthinkable happened.

I felt a kinetic ripple of force…very slight, but still just so powerful that even 40 meters away, someone-or some_thing_- could notice it in this space. Suddenly, the moan grew louder, and the cold rapidly increased. The Searchers were coming this way.

"Elsword, we have to run!" I frantically hissed through my teeth, though there was no chance that they would not know where we were. The sound grew ever viler, as the distance between us lessened. The cold tore at my strength, and I found myself unable to move.

"Elsword?" I looked wearily to my left, but Elsword was immobilized too. My body was numbing. I had to do something…but I couldn't…move…

The echoing moan came from an even shorter distance this time…only about 10 meters away. I realized now that these were the ones who had come before us, and that this is what had become of them. Their fate was forever to steal souls in a vain attempt to fill their own emptiness. And I realized that I was about to fall victim to that fate too.

The thought overpowered the cold. In the next moments that followed, I don't remember much, but Elsword tells me I went…slightly insane.

I took all of my fear, my cornered feelings, and hatred and let them loose in one, horrible scream. Then everything went white.

When I came to, I was lying on my side at the entrance to Henir's Time and Space. The realm reached out to me, and soothed my wild emotions. I calmly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry. I focused on a vague human figure. "E-Elsword?"

The figure sat up. "Aisha, you're back…thank god…" I realized that it was Elsword who had spoken. My strength was slowly returning.

"Wh-what happened…?" I inquired, weakly.

"You saved us both, Aisha," Elsword lowered his voice. "The Searchers…they almost got us. I saw a vague silhouette of movement lunging for me, and this jabbing pain in my left side. Then, all I remember is appearing here in a flash, and as soon as you got here next to me, you just collapsed. I thought…" Elsword gulped. "I thought you were…gone."

"It's all right, Elsword," I said. My strength had returned for the most part. "I'm still here." Then I noticed a red mark on his left side. "Elsword, you're hurt!"

"This? Oh, it's nothing," Elsword said, trying to sound fine. However, I noticed him shaking slightly. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to me.

"Elsword, let me see that wound." I outstretched my hand and searched for traces of magic, or any element or metal at all. The truth was, I found nothing. Just…cold, but this cold was nothing like ice. It was…nothingness. This truth was…horrible.

"What is it, Aisha?" Elsword looked down at my grave expression.

"Elsword…the Searchers did get us. Well, not us…but they did get you…" I took a shaky breath. "Elsword...your soul is going to simply evaporate out of that cut, until you're just…a shell of a body. Then…you'll…lose you…and…" I fought back tears, but failed. "I'll…lose you…" I sobbed.

"Aisha, I…" Elsword saw me, broken, and tried to comfort me. "Maybe there is a way to…"

"There is…no way…" I lost all strength in my body, though everything inside me screamed, _don't give up! Or…you'll lose him…_

"No…it can't be…" Elsword sat back.

_**It can be… **_A chorus of hissing tones said the words, from seemingly everywhere.

I looked up, eyes wet. "Who's…there?"

Elsword looked at me, confused. "It's…me, Aisha…"

_**Ha ha ha…It's NOT you, though…**_

__"Who are you? What do you want?" I looked around wildly to see who had spoken.

**I am one of the Departed. A fallen soul who did not make it into heaven. **

** And I came to make a deal…**


	5. Chapter Four - Exchange

Chapter Four – Exchange 

"A…deal?" My throat tightened with anxiety. "What kind of deal?"

"Aisha, what are you talking about?" Elsword's face assumed an expression of concern.

_**He can't hear me, **_the voice hissed. _**Only you can…because you've gone mad…**_

__"Mad…I've gone…mad?!" I was shocked. But I felt the same as usual, and…

_**That is correct. Your fear of losing one of your friends is making your psyche collapse…**_

Elsword's voice broke into my thoughts. "What?! But…that's impossible. You're not behaving erratically…just suspiciously…"

"There's a voice in my head," I told him. "It…it's from Hell. It wants me to make a deal with it…"

_**That's right, **_the voice said, hissing. _**I am a notorious Sinner in the lowest level of Hell. Pursued by the Sleepless Ones…**_

__"What? What are Sleepless Ones?" I asked.

_**That is something I cannot tell you…if I speak of them, they will appear…**_

__"It doesn't matter," I was anxious to cut to the chase, as every second we wasted was more of Elsword's soul escaping. "What kind of deal do you want to make?"

_**I can ensure that your friend there lives, **_the voice said. _**If you serve half of my sentence in Hell…**_

__I dropped to my knees. Elsword's life…but for how long would I wait to see him…and suffer?

"Aisha, what's wrong?" Elsword knelt next to me. I looked into his eyes, and noticed his true concern.

"The deal I have to make for your life…" I began.

"You're making a deal with…a Sinner?!" Elsword exclaimed. "That's unacceptable. Whatever he wants will not be worth it. Just don't do this…"

I ignored him. "What do I have to do?"

_**You're in luck, **_the voice said. _**My sentence is only two more years. That means you serve one year in the lowest level of Hell and you, me, and your friend will be happy. **_

__"His sentence is only two more years," I said aloud. Elsword looked at me quizzically. "What does that mean?" he said. "Is that relevant?"

"It's because…he wants me to serve half of his sentence…in exchange for your continued life and his freedom…" I explained shakily.

Elsword jumped up. "Absolutely not! I forbid you to do this! You cannot risk yourself like this just for me…"

_**But she can, you foolish boy, **_the voice chuckled. _**That's why she's still talking. Isn't that right, Aisha?**_

__"I…have to…" I said shakily. "Elsword has to live…"

Elsword bowed his head. "No…"

"One more thing…" I asked. "How many levels of Hell are there?"

_**About fifty, **_the voice replied. _**The order of descent is by severity, as many would guess. The soul is the signpost when sentenced, but you will be sentenced based on **_**my **_**sins when you make the exchange. You will serve a year on the lowest and harshest level of the realm of Hell. **_

__"What is…its name?" I asked fearfully, remembering that each level of Hell had a name.

**What its name is? I don't see how that's relevant, but I shall tell you nonetheless. Its name is…**

** Mugetsu.**

It took several moments for the shock to register, and then everything made sense. The realm had maddening conditions. The Sleepless Ones…they were Searchers. A place like that would only be for the worst of all. The lowest level for the lowest of conscience…

"It…it cannot be…" I fought back my tears. "That place is the reason Elsword is about to lose his soul…and you…want me to go back there, in order to reclaim it? That's absolutely…cruel…" I couldn't stand it. I just collapsed.

"Aisha! Speak to me…" Elsword got down next to me and looked into my eyes, scanning for signs of life. I felt my throat close up.

"That Sinner…he is from…the lowest level of Hell. I didn't know before…but the lowest level of Hell is…" I sobbed. "It's…"

"What, Aisha?"

"Mu-Mugetsu…" It was just unfair. _This is unbelievable,_ I screamed silently. _The key to stopping my friend from losing everything is the same place he was doomed to an unimaginably horrible fate…_

"Aisha, no…don't go. I will die, and you will be safe. It is beyond thinking for you to return there. If you are lost forever because of me, I won't be able to face myself…" Elsword looked down at me in sorrow. "Just don't go back…to Mugetsu…"

"I have to do this…" I swallowed. "Elsword…this is farewell…"

"Aisha, no!"

"I…" the words felt like I was forcing them out of my mouth. "I make…the trade…"

_**Excellent…**_

__"No!" Elsword looked around wildly, like there was a lifeline he could throw me, to anchor my soul to this world, to stop me from leaving him…

"I'm sorry, Elsword," I said. "But I'm leaving this world as we speak. There is nothing you can do…nothing…" Alarmingly, my voice was beginning to fade. I looked down at my hands, and saw that they were becoming transparent, slowly disappearing.

"No!" Still, he lunged for my arm, trying to grasp it, to remind himself that I still existed, but to no avail. All he could do was watch…and all I could do was watch.

"Good…bye…" I watched Elsword disappear completely, his eyes still staring at the point where I should have been, pleading me to come back to the world of the living…

_-Elsword's Point of View-_

__She was gone.

Aisha was gone…and she had gone back to Mugetsu…

I buried my face in my hands. Why? Why hadn't I tried to stop her? Why had I let her go?

As I thought, a voice hissed in my skull. _**It's a shame, really…**_

__"Who are you?!" I whirled around, but nobody was there…

_**I am the one Aisha made a deal for your soul with. I forgot to warn her that she is still considered alive, and that if she dies once…she will be bound to Mugetsu for the rest of her human life span…and then she will serve a sentence there after that one…**_

__"What?!" I screamed in disbelief. _This cannot be true. It can't. It can't. It can't…_

_**The Sleepless Ones are merciless, **_the voice warned. _**The moment she appears there, she is already in danger of being devoured…**_

__"What do you mean? They didn't notice us until some unknown wave of force ticked them off," My panic rose.

_**That wave of force was the movements of another Sinner. Now that she is one of them, but still living, she will be ever more obvious to the Sleepless Ones. Even her mere nearby presence will alert them to her position. Just thirty meters will suffice.**_

_** Aisha's soul will be consumed…very soon…**_


	6. Chapter 4 & A Half - Prototype Reacts To

Chapter Four Point Five – What.

_Anyhow, I've decided to take some time off to do some Reckless Fisting thanks to xTsukinoEvernightx. This will also get me to write longer chapters, so thank this kind person for their sage advice!_

_And now, at the moment of most suspense, Prototype's reactions again! (I can hear all your FFUUUUs from here.) As you should know, these occurrences are real until any or all of the Elgang shows up. I mean, It's kind of obvious._

Me: *Practicing for 3rd Dan in Taekwondo*

Prototype: Guess…WHAT! *slaps back*

Me: D'OH F_! *Whirls around* If you greet me again like that, your head is going through the roof!

Prototype: Chill a cycle, red dharma! Just letting you know I read your fanfic.

Me: *In Sinner voice* _Why the f_ did you interrupt me for that you could have just told me later you son of a b_ I swear to god sfherjhgkjahfaaaaargh_

Prototype: Like I said. Anyways, that was…interesting. Elsword was sleeping with Aisha. *Me Gusta face*

Me: That was an accident and you know it!

Prototype: And that part with the Searchers…that was creepy.

Me: Psh, I would so make a deal with the Departed to stick you in Mugetsu for like, five ever.

Prototype: That was mean, what did I ever do to you?

Me: D:

Prototype: :D

Me: D:

Prototype: :D

Elsword: D:

Me: Get out.

Elsword: Hey, what the hell! You're supposed to act all surprised!

Me: I only do that for Raven, who is still two weeks in the future, you left the door open, and your sneaking is about as quiet as the sound of my alarm clock. No wonder the Searchers found you!

Elsword: *Reads* Hey, what the hell! Isn't a deal with the devil something one should generally avoid?!

Aisha: Well, I'm doing it for you! Doesn't that show how much I … value you as a colleague? *Blush*

Me: Why are all of you in my room! How do you even fit in here?

Rena: *Standing on top of Aisha* Length times width times height, and as I noticed, we still have "height." You're the physicist, shouldn't you…?

Me: *Staring up Rena's dress* Uh…huh… *Receives arrow to the knee* UWAH! My spleen!

Rena: …Spleen?

Me: *Dead*

Aisha: Pervert. He deserved that anyway.

Prototype: *Staring you know where* Take a ride on my lips, baby! *Receives arrow to the knee* Damn it! The spleen! Why is it always the spleen!

Aisha: …

Rena: Well…it looks like we're in charge now…

Me: Not so fast. /grouplevel set: 0

_Rena's level was set to 0_

_Aisha's level was set to 0_

_Elsword's level was set to 0_

Me: /level Prototype set 60

_Prototype's level was set to 60_

Me: Unfortunately, I am the mod! Y'all cretins. have set you to level 0, which makes you too low a level to wear any equipment! Moo hoo ha ha ha!

Rena: Noooooo! *Runs away*

Aisha: *Does same*

Elsword: *Manly scream and runs away*

Me and Prototype: Moo hoo ha ha ha ha ha!

Me: /level Prototype set: 0

_Prototype's level was set to 0_

Prototype: *Leaves* Damn it!

Me: That's right, even though I deprecate myself in my writing, I am STILL the boss. Suck on that! *Flips everyone the bird*

_Siegris was banned for profanity._

Me: Damn it!


	7. Chapter Five - Pursuit

Chapter Five – Pursuit

_-Aisha's Point of View-_

I awoke, feeling nothing but cold. _Let that have been a dream, _I thought, even though I knew. Even before I opened my eyes, I knew. This blackness, this cold, this feeling of fear…this was Mugetsu. There was a young man, with long blond hair, in meditation position next to me. He was slightly difficult to see…but it was definitely…

"Good to see you're awake," the man said.

"…Chung?" I asked. The man looked at me in surprise. "Who is Chung?"

"I…never mind." I turned away quickly. Of course. What would Chung be doing in Mugetsu? _Idiot, _I scolded myself.

"So, what do you think of this place so far, Aisha?" The man spread his arms. "Take it in, it's worse now than when you were 'living.'"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" I asked. "Are you a Sinner?"

"Hehe. I suppose the horrible miasma of this place distorts my voice to the minds of the living. I am the one you made a deal with…call me Kugoji Seiji." Seiji smiled sadly. "It's a shame we could not have met under better circumstances."

"I have a question, Seiji," I ventured.

"Ask away. We…no, I…have all the time in the world. You, however, are not so fortunate…" Seiji glanced around nervously. "The _Sleepless Ones _will be here soon. You must not get too close to any of them, or it will be over for you."

"That's perfect. I would like to know…will I be able to see them now?" I hoped, silently, that the answer was yes.

"You will be able to see them now that you are a Sinner, like the rest of us," Seiji replied. "But that makes it all the more worse. If you perceive them in any way visually, they will see you and come to drag you down into the depths of Mugetsu. They remind us, again and again, that we are powerless against judgment by killing us countless times, breaking us down over time, until we lose our will to go on and cease to exist before our sentence is over. But however bad it is for us, it is infinitely worse for you." Seiji's eyes widened. "No."

I looked over my shoulder, but Seiji stopped me. "Do not look," he said in panic. "It's _them_…"

Suddenly, a small whisper began echoing inside my brain. _Requiem We Us Nothingness Control Despair Hatred Greed Pride Ending Wrath Senseless Insanity Lunatic Strike Scent Farewell Infinite Reckless Blackness Void Calling Departed Sinner Fallen…_

I began to shiver. As if the voice itself wasn't bad enough, it was an incantation of madness. The Sleepless Ones were projecting madness into anyone nearby.

_Sinner Human Presence Cometh The Man Female Devour NOW AND FOREVER Incantation Hell Ending Strike Smite Judgment FEMALE HUMANS…_

I realized that they were thinking about me…and that meant that they knew I was nearby. From the look on Seiji's face, he could tell so too. But if we moved, then…

_Seiji Female Violet Human Together Two SINNER…__**AISHA…CONSUME…**_

__My heart jumped. I _had _to get away from them. But even as I moved to get away, I felt cold begin to crawl over my body. And while their sound before had been a whispering wail, a moan of darkness, it was even worse this time. Now I could truly hear them, and feel the true maddening fear of being near a Sleepless One.

A tortured scream echoed through the gloom behind me, but it was thousands of voices at once, not one being. Somehow, as I heard the scream, I felt the deaths of all those people, images flashing in front of me, the pain of death tearing at me thousands of times, over and over, now and forever.

Seiji's voice snapped me back to reality. "Aisha, what are you doing?! We have to get away from them!" As I began thinking straight, I realized that cold was numbing my body. I got up and ran stiffly, but the cold was worsening, and for the second time, I felt like I was about to be consumed. But this time, no desperate last attempt could save me. I felt no magic in my body, and even so…

The scream echoed through my skull again. Again, pain stabbed at every inch of me, of sin, of judgment, of death, of consummation. I collapsed, pain and cold getting the better of me, and began to fade. I felt myself being thrown into the air, and heard just an echo of Seiji's voice. He yelled, concerned, but it felt like I heard him from the other side of a waterfall. The scream continued, albeit further away. Still, I couldn't hold on…everything faded away, and I felt like I was floating in space. Then I lost all feeling completely.

_-Elsword's Point Of View-_

"Is there any way into Hell?" I urged. "Tell me! I need to save Aisha from Mugetsu! If she dies…"

_**There's not much time. **_The voice was urgent, and I could visualize a human silhouette cautiously glancing around. _**Aisha was almost consumed by the Sleepless Ones already. Since she still has a body, she cannot outrun them, or withstand the Scream of the Lost. Even the Voice of Hell has an effect on her. If this keeps up, she won't survive for another 364 days!**_

__"Yes, but where, if any, is an entrance?" I asked, losing patience. From what I heard, forget 364 days. At best, she had about that many minutes!

_**There was one that phased in and out of the entrance to Henir's Time and Space, **_the voice said. _**However, Aisha's spell, the one that she cast in desperation, will not allow you to directly enter Mugetsu. You will have to fight through the levels of Hell in order to get here. But if I recall, there is an entrance at the lowermost level of Dragon's Nest, Abyss. However, it will not be as easy as you think to get through Hell. The ancient bone dragon is actually a guardian of Hell. There are many of them on one given plane of the realm, and will be nearly 50% more powerful there. **_

__"What?!" Forgive me, but I was genuinely shocked. _That monster was bad enough in the world of the Living, _I thought. _But in the Afterlife, it's even more powerful? _

_**Before you enter the First Level of Hell, Haishi, know this. Each level goes on forever in every direction but down. Only by going down will you progress! Once you enter, you will not be able to leave, though. **_

__"It doesn't matter," I voided myself of all doubt and negativity. "I _will _save my friend. That is all."

_**If that is what you wish, then it will be. Good luck, Elsword. However, those are hollow words. Luck will not help you in Hell. **_

__"So be it," I said, but the voice was already gone. I shrugged, with no further use for conversation, and left for Bethma.

_-Aisha's Point of View-_

I awoke, cold, in an empty void. Mugetsu, of course. I felt, but could not move. I could not move at all. It was so frustrating, until I realized the gravity of this situation. If any Sleepless Ones appeared, I would be dead for good. Fear pierced my heart.

"Awake? Again?" Seiji's worried voice sounded off to the right, calming my nerves.

"Y-yes…" I whispered. My voice was so weak; I could barely get out the words.

"It's good to see you. Welcome back to the world of the…dead." He sighed. "Boy, oh, boy, they _really _did a number on you, didn't they?" Seiji scanned my body, concerned. "Can you move?"

I tried to move my arm, possibly to cross it over my chest, because Seiji was spending a _lot _of time staring at my bust area. However, I could not. "I can't…move," I said, my voice getting stronger. Oh, look at that. My voice, of all things I could have back. How useful.

"Oh, goody." He said in a monotonous sarcastic tone. "Well, all we can hope is that Elsword gets here soon. If he doesn't, then we…"

"Wait." I would have held up my hand. "Elsword is…is coming…_here?!_"

"Correct. He seems bent on saving you, so-"

"No," I breathed. That colossal idiot! If he comes here, then…I whirled on Seiji. Or tried to. "How could you let him come down here?! He's going to be consumed, like he almost was the last time!"

"Ancient Dragons reside above. This is the kindest level of Hell in environmental terms, but the beings down here are 500 times more powerful than any creature of this realm. Rest easy knowing will be relatively easy to get through the other levels of Hell."

"But…I…" I was a storm of emotions. "He can't come down here, or all of this will…be in vain…"

"Rest now. You still need it," Seiji put a hand over my head, and I lost everything.

_-Elsword's Point of View-_

"Is anything in here?" I called, noticing a lack of movement in the Abyss. However, there was no sound except for flowing lava, and a heat even greater than the surrounding area in the back of the cave.

_That is strange, _I thought. _The cave should be just the same amount of heat everywhere. But…I sense a greater source from the heart of the cave…_

Just then, a translucent female human form appeared out of the haze. I stepped back. "What…what are you?"

The specter spoke to me, but as it moved its lips, a voice hissed in my skull. _**Elsword, it is me. Eve. **_

__"Eve?!" I stepped back again. "Nasods have an afterlife?"

_**Everything has an afterlife, **_Eve told me. _**Now, listen to me. Chung is in Mugetsu. He's been helping Aisha survive, under the alias of Kugoji Seiji. However, she is beginning to figure out his identity. This poses all sorts of problems to the likelihood of survival. If she figures out it's Chung, then she will have found a friend. If she finds a friend, she will be happy. If she is happy, she will become a greater target. The Sleepless Ones exist to crush hope. **_

__I wanted to scream. _Chung, what are you doing!? _"Doesn't Chung realize this?"

_**Of course he does, but he is Aisha's only hope. Either way, sometime or other, she will realize that it is Chung and then she will be devoured. End of story. **_

__"How many levels of Hell are there?" I asked, changing the subject.

_**There are fifty levels of Hell. You will find that each is more pressuring than the last. The first level of Hell is named Haishi, for Abolition. The reason this cave is empty, however, is because the presence of Hell in Henir's is beginning to leak into the counterpart areas it encompasses, spreading, consuming, and dragging the inhabitants into Hell. **_

_** This isn't just about you and Aisha. There's…something else… **_Suddenly, Eve gasped and was pulled down into the earth by some invisible force. _**El-Elsword…**_her voice faded away.

"Eve?" I inquired. But…Eve was gone. Then, I heard a chorus of hatred from the heart of the cave, inciting madness in my skull, searing anger burning my throat.

_Hatred Discord Hell Disharmony Pride Better Pathetic Aisha Dead Horror Armageddon End Murder Mayhem Havoc Crisis…_

I gritted my teeth, steeling myself against the hatred. It was just Hell's miasma, reaching out to me, mocking me, drawing me in, and calling out the worst emotions in me. I gripped my sword and continued, determined. No stupid voices were going to stop me. 

_**Elsword, **_another hissing voice spoke. On the contrary. The voices were actually succeeding in distracting me. "What do you want!?" I demanded.

_**There's no time. They're approaching. Get down here NOW! **_Chung's voice disappeared.

_Funny, I was just doing that! _I thought, exasperated.

_-Minutes Later-_

I reached the heart of the cave and saw it.

This was it. I could tell that this portal was the entrance to the afterlife of the Sinners. The maddening chorus continued its chant…

_Hatred Discord Hell Disharmony Pride Better Pathetic Aisha Dead Horror Armageddon End Murder Mayhem Havoc Crisis…_

This was Hell.

The portal was black, like nothing ever seen by human eyes, yet I got the feeling that it was like a singularity – zero volume but infinite density, bending space inward, inversing it around itself. The pressure emanating from the portal was crushing, and instead of standing, I was backpedaling just to stay in one place. A low, whispering wail echoed from the surrounding area, like it was struggling to not be sucked in, and the effort alone was torture. _Once you enter, you will not be able to come back, _Chung had said. I now knew it wholeheartedly. _You will be a Sinner yourself to trespass on a realm of the dead, _I heard a voice in my head say. It was my last warning.

_"This is the gate to your innermost apocalypse…" _A hissing voice came out of my mouth, not mine. I was in shock, unable to do anything as some unknown specter took hold of my soul. _"Do you accept it…?" _Then the voice left me, and I collapsed, breathing hard, in a cold sweat.

"Just what _is _this place?" I said aloud, to reassure myself that I was still Elsword. Then I shook myself. There was no time for doubt. Every second I wasted was Aisha's possible demise. I steeled myself, and dashed into the abyss.

_-Aisha's Point of View-_

"Seiji, we're losing them!" I heard another Scream of the Lost, and shivered, but with all my will, kept some hope. The cold was lessening slightly.

"That's good! Just keep running!" Seiji ran, with incredible stamina. Still, I knew I couldn't keep this up forever. I was beginning to get short of breath. I felt myself slowing down, only slightly, but enough. The cold worsened greatly, and a tortured scream went straight down into my soul, delving into my psyche and seemingly devouring my will.

I felt the pain of death, the tortured emotions of the thousands of victims, betrayal, sin, and retribution, all flowing through my nerves. It was too much. The cold sapped my physical strength, while the scream sapped my will. It was over. I couldn't move, yet again. I felt so lost, so lifeless as the scream's power tore through my psyche. _No…_ I finally couldn't support myself and I fell.

From miles away, or seemingly, I heard Seiji. _"Aisha, no!" _My vision was flipped, and I knew that Seiji was carrying me, through it all. But through the pain, my hope was crushed as the horrible sound consumed all hope. I blanked out completely, feeling lost, helpless, trapped, and tortured.

"Aisha. Aisha!" Seiji shook me. I weakly sat up. "Wha-what happened to me…?" I asked, looking around in a daze.

"They're beginning to get to you. I see it in your eyes, how your soul is beginning to dull and shatter. Your eyes are glazing over. You cannot lose your hope. That is all that stops Sinners from fading into nothingness! If that happens to you…" Seiji jarred me with his voice.

"I just can't get used to it!" I cried. "I feel so helpless, so useless, like a burden! Why do I keep running?! Why, if you guys can just come back, should I keep running from the Sleepless Ones!? Answer me!" I turned on Seiji, glaring.

"That is dangerous thinking, Aisha. Especially here. In Hell, your will is all you have left. Without it, you cease to be. Such is the living world, too."

"But you _can _come back! Why not me!?" My own hatred, loathing for this place was beginning to make me insane. _WHY?! _I thought.

"Because if _you _die, someone who is still 'alive,' then _you _will live the rest of your life here, bound by these chains." Seiji lifted his arm, showing rusty black chains.

"What are those?" I asked.

"Those are the chains of Hell. You are constantly bound by them, to never leave, once you are connected to them. When you die, you will be shackled, and doomed to roam the realm of despair for eternity." Seiji looked down.

"And then, when you die, no matter your sins, you will be here for your sentence as well. Do you now see why you may not give up?" Seiji desperately tried to arouse my remaining determination. "If you die, you stay here…forever. And that is a very long time, Aisha."

"I…won't ever see Elsword, Raven, Rena, Eve, or Chung ever again…?" My voice broke. My friends, who I'd spent so many moments with, were likely going to be kept from me forever. "This can't be. I can't be kept from them like this. All traces of any determination, hope, or will disappeared completely. "Then what's the point? Let my damn soul be devoured by the Sleepless Ones! It's sure to happen anyway, isn't it, with _three hundred fucking days here!_" I screamed.

"Aisha, don't. This is it. You either choose to possibly live, or you stay here forever. It is your move. But if I were you, or even one of your friends, I would want you to live. So make your choice then. However, if you choose the latter, you will never see me again. Think about that." Seiji turned away.

I thought. Raven's constant bitter exterior, yet inside he was so compassionate, Rena's kindness, Elsword's foolish bliss, Eve's royal, sensible presence, and Chung's empathy for others. None of them…again? No. I would live. I would live to see them again. "I…want to live. I'll do it," I said, my voice getting stronger. "I will live!" I exclaimed fiercely.

A scream echoed through the void, incredibly near. Suddenly, my heart throbbed in pain. I doubled over, gasping. Spots danced in front of my eyes. Cold tore at the edges of my body. _It can't be, _I thought. _This time I can't escape._

All I remember is a blur. Terrible images, pain, cold, and Seiji trying, desperately to get me to safety, but he could not. The Sleepless Ones were too close. I remember a horrible sensation in my chest as it was ripped open, Seiji's desperate cries, echoes of despair, and my last thought. _No…_

Finally, a glowing blue mist dissipated from the hole in my chest. My vision cut completely, and I turned gray and dissipated too, like ashes in the wind.

Prototype: This…can't be! I can't believe this!

Me: Make like Naruto and…*_sniff_*…believe it.

Prototype: You did a good job of setting up the conditions of Hell. The more you feel the pain of the victims, the more you feel the cold of nothingness, you lose faith in your existence. Nicely done…

Aisha: I…died?!

Me: We don't know _that _yet!

Aisha: Oh, that's a relief.

Me: _*Shakes head*_

Aisha: _*Heart cracks in half*_

Me: So, about Elsword.

Prototype: Yeah, this hissing voice. Didn't Raven do that in Chapter Two, and Aisha got all scared and scheise like that?

Me: Yes. And you'll see why later. But no German swearing either. I don't censor these parts.

Prototype: Well in that case! *Atomic F-bomb.*

Me: Just for you, I'm censoring _you._

Prototype: F.

Me: :D

Prototype: D:

Me: :D

Prototype: D:

Elsword: WAIT A MINUTE!

Me: Go away!

Rena: *Accidentally breaks plate* Kyaa!

Elsword: *Purposely breaks plate* Bwahaha! :D

Me: Assholes! Stop breaking my plates!

Everyone Else Except For Prototype: We're not doing jack till you pay us our wages!

Me: I'm not paying you jack till you _do _jack!

*Dispute Ensues*

Prototype: Oatmeal!

Me: WTFsck!

Rena: Glitter Monsters!

Elsword: I Like Turtles!

Aisha: *Spreading black shadows* *Dark Aura* Everyone calm down!

Everyone: O-O

Aisha: Thank you. *Leaves*

*Dispute continues*

Prototype: Why does no one ever come here but these jackasses! All they ever do is wreck our physics work!

Me: You mean MY physics work!

Prototype: What fing ever! You know what I mean! Anyway, why do only _they _come here?

Me: _**Of course no one ever comes here! No one ever fucking comes here! You think some random office girl is going to look at this place and go, **__'Oh, this place looks nice, LET'S GO INSIDE!' __**DO YOU?!**_

Prototype: **OF COURSE NOT! **

Me: _**WELL, THERE YOU GO! **_

Rena: *Breaks plate* Kyaa! :D

Me: …!

Rena: *Breaks another plate* Hee hee hee. :D

Me: HEY YOUUUU! Knock it off with all that damn reckless destruction! *Falcon PUNCH*

Rena: *Sails gracefully through the air and lands on a conveniently placed _Arms of Elsword_.

Elsword: *Erases Board*

Me: _**Okay, that's it! Get your asses out of my workroom! **_

/ban every****ing person

_[Server IP _._._._ Has Disconnected. SIEGris thanks you for playing!]_


	8. Chapter Five Half - Name?

Chapter 5.5 – Name

**Me: Okay! So glad you all came, now we can start the meeting.**

**Prototype: *Paddleball***

**Elsword: *Eyeing the plates***

**Aisha: *Sleeping***

**Rena: *Eagerly listening with shining eyes***

**Chung-er, Seiji: *Bitch please***

**Me: What are you all doing?!**

**Elsword: What? Oh, that. I was promised food! **

**Prototype: So was I! **

**Rena: No, shh, let him talk!**

**Aisha: *Unconscious***

**Seiji: Bitch please, why should we listen to you?**

**Me: SILENCE! Also, mahogany. So, I was reading THIS s/8724401/1/Elsword-Miharu-s-Fate (which is really good) aaaand I realized that my commentary section did not have a name. **

**Rena: !**

**Elsword: …?**

**Prototype: …D:**

**Aisha: ZZZ**

**Seiji: Aiee! You're right!**

**Me: Ayup! Sooooo what should we call this section?**

**Rena: Wait, that's all this is about? You said this was about stopping animal cruelty! **

**Me: So if I told you that politicians were trustworthy, you would believe me? **

**Rena: …Touche…**

**Seiji: In which case, none of us would listen anyway. **

**Rena: D:**

**Me: This place is a hellhole. So what can we name this place to match that?**

**Prototype: Wait. **

**Me: What?**

**Prototype: Isn't Seiji's surnaming just **_**Ji go ku **_**(Hell) backwards?**

**Me: Yes. **

**Everyone: O _ O**

**Me: Enough! What the hell should we call this place? **

**Rena: Ah! Like what the…hell! What was it…Gijoku? **

**Elsword: Where's the food?**

**Me: No, it's Jigoku, and… *The two quickly become engrossed in this small two-person meeting***

**Prototype: Why is Aisha still sleeping?**

**Seiji: Symbolically, because she was consumed by a Sleepless One last chapter. **

**Everyone: O _ O **

**Aisha: ZZZ…wha…? **

**Everyone Except Me and Rena: O _ O **

**Aisha: Wha-what happened to me…?**

**Elsword: You just…you…you…?!**

**Aisha: All I remember was just sleeping and then I got hit on the head by some green-haired person. Now I'm here. What's going on?**

**Everyone Except Me and Rena: *Glares at Rena* **

**Me: **_**AND THUS THE VERDICT HAS BEEN VERDICTED…**_**er, made. **

**Rena: Yes! Tell them!**

**Me: We shall call the commentary…**

**Everyone: *Suspense***

**Me: Jigoku Incorporated. **

**Everyone: Ooh ooh very nice**

**Rena: Hold on! *angry look***

**Me: What?**

**Rena: You said this place would be called Vegetarianism Incorporated! **

**Me: I lied. **

**Rena: You…lied?**

**Me: Yeah. **

**Rena: *Hurt***

**Me: I lied. :D**

_**Issue One – Solved!**_

**Me: NEXT ISSUE!**

**Elsword: Oh COME ON! There's MORE?!**

**Everyone: *Angry agreement, turns on Me* **

**Me: Of fucking course! Everyone all just gang up on me! Don't worry, this is short. **

**Prototype: What is it?**

**Me: *Takes deep breath* **

**Me: Okay so readers I don't actually think anyone reads **_**Jigoku Incorporated **_**sections and how can I be sure that any of you are even reading this right now so I just have to ask and I'm really sorry that this filler sucks so bad but bear with me on this one so could you just review this telling me that you've actually read this kthanx bye! **

**Everyone: … :O**

**Rena: That was fast. **

**Me: It was *pant* supposed to *pant* be! **

**Me: *Takes another deep breath* **

**Me: So anyways if you're reading this even and I'll know cause you tell me you actually read it because of the prior section you had to read to know to be able to tell me you read it cause it says to review it and if you review it that could only mean you read it so anyways check this out this was one of my favorites s/8724401/1/Elsword-Miharu-s-Fate and that is all so bye…ee…*passes out on the floor***

**Everyone: Okay, bye guys!**


	9. Chapter 6 - Temptations and Traps

Chapter Six – Temptations and Traps

_-Elsword's Point of View-_

_Incredible, _I thought, staring around at the flaming landscape of Hell around me. _What a horrible sensation. _The atmosphere was crushing, with gravity possibly twice that of the world above. The heat was incredible, like standing next to a roaring fire. The skies were red, with black lightning streaking through it periodically. However, the lightning wasn't actually producing light or sound, just flashing in and out of existence.

The ground was littered with bones, the rocks red and solid. I had a feeling that there was no way to destroy the material that composed the surface. Where I had come from, there was a sea of lava behind me. It stretched seemingly endlessly, but something told me it really did have no end.

However, I didn't have time to think. In the distance, the silhouette of a strange skeletal beast moved, stretching out the span of its wings. _It's an Ancient Dragon. _It seemed to be inquisitive, moving its neck, searching out something, and it began moving closer and closer.

I gripped my sword and began moving further and further away, trying to slowly escape its range of notice, but it seemed that my efforts just made it realize that it was something that moved, which, of course would just pique its interest. I got the feeling that playing dead wouldn't help. Seeing as this colossus had guarded the gates of Armageddon for eons, I knew it could tell the difference between living and dead.

Suddenly, the ancient dragon lifted its neck and stared directly at me. Then it roared, a terrible, bloodcurdling roar that echoed through the desiccated, smoldering valley, and began pounding its way towards me. I had no choice. I turned and ran, without stopping to consider that there might be more in the direction that I was running.

Unbelievably, the pounding of the earth under my feet lessened with distance from the hellish colossus, but as I leaped over a sizzling pool of lava, I heard the beat of leathery wings, and now _that _seemed to be getting closer. _Damn it! Is there no escape?! _

Just then, the scape sloped downward into a steep valley, and at the bottom was a dark portal. _Only by going downward will you progress, _Chung had said. _Bingo! _I thought. Just then, a huge shadow passed overhead, let out a shattering cry, shaking the valley, and dove straight downward for me. I jumped off the slope and faced downward, hurtling towards the bottom of the valley, where the two hills met. Behind me, I felt hellish flames approach my back. _This is gonna be close, _I thought. Just as I was about to be consumed, I landed headfirst in the singularity point of the portal, whirled into the feeling of nothingness that had greeted me when I first arrived.

The nothingness lasted for about a minute, and then light began to shine on my face. Except this light was…green? When I opened my eyes, I looked around. My first thought was _Oh crap. _

For one, the light was green because the air was contaminated. Which led me to another realization...I was underground, and in a narrow tunnel. And finally, I realized…_This is Transportation Tunnel CA. Meaning, I need to find an exit in about 5 minutes, because I didn't bring an Anti-Alterasia capsule. Any longer than that, and…well…_

I set off in the direction of any crevice in the ground I could find. The green fog in the air made it nearly impossible to see anything, and I was beginning to tire. However, after a while of moving through the landscape, I found another portal, that seemed to be at the end of the tunnel. With my good luck, I swore if I ever lived to see the light of day, I would be much nicer to Alterasia spores in the future.

However, I shouldn't have thought such a thing. Because two seconds later, the unthinkable happened.

I had figured out that this was Transportation Tunnel CA, and that all life in it would have been absorbed into the landscape. However, the spores were life, and that meant that there still was life. Especially life powerful enough to resist the pull of Hell's gravity.

I was looking directly at the formidable, sword-wielding figure of Alterasia Type H, blocking the only escape from this poisonous landscape.

_Why me? _I thought. _Why?! _With the spores slowly sapping my strength, I knew I didn't have much time before I lost my strength and power completely. I knew I didn't stand a chance, facing the organism that had almost killed me, so many times _without _such one-sided conditions. As I counted, I was left with only three minutes and thirty seconds. So I did the only possible thing. I charged forward, with a battle cry. Alterasia Type H mimicked my stance to the letter and made a strangled hissing sound.

Our blades clashed, with a resounding clang that resounded through the valley. Symmetrically, we stood, unblinking, unflinching. Then we both swept aside each other's blades and began swiping furiously at each other. After many sharp sounds of metal against metal, and jolts up my arm, I aimed for the neck, but Alterasia was too fast – instantly parrying and guarded again, holding my blade in place, while it swept me backwards through the air with a well-placed bicycle kick. I was flung backwards, landing hard on my back, knocking the wind out of me. As I jumped back up, I heard its blade sinking hard into the ground, the sound as obvious as how close I'd just been to death. As I brought my blade down in an arc, Alterasia brought its blade up, using the friction and potential energy from the ground to intercept my sword. _Damn, this thing is far more intelligent than I remember it, _I thought. However, while that was a big problem, it wasn't my biggest one. The _real _problem was that I only had 2 minutes left, _and _I was losing. I rolled back, and began to make a dash for the portal.

However, Alterasia Type H had other plans. Instead, it hissed menacingly and began to glow green. That could only mean…

I jumped back, as the nine-pointed, rotating green star of Storm Blade tore through the air as I landed just outside its reach, I felt its blades still cut a section of my arm, even though I was meters away. The spinning grew faster and faster, and for some reason…the blades grew longer and longer. I began to try to get around it to the portal, but the blades were beginning to stretch out to the edges of the tunnels. I ran to the furthest point of the tunnel, and dove between the spinning blades. _I hope this works!_

Luckily, I made it out to the other side, and closed the distance between me and the portal just as the blades sliced through the tunnel wall, just where I had been. As I leapt through the portal with only 30 seconds left, into the shadows, I heard the furious scream of Alterasia. _I'm glad that's over with, _I thought. _What a fearsome foe, even if it wasn't 50% more powerful here. _

Through the nothingness of teleportation, I saw a bright orange glow, and felt intense heat. _Wait…isn't this where I just came from?_ I thought. Then I saw it clearly and all the shock that came with it, as I distorted into its spatial bounds.

It was Elrios. The entire planet had been swallowed by Hell. And shortly after, something happened that would change my life forever.

_Hey, hey, hey, how's it hangin', brotha? _A voice echoed through the atmosphere. I spun around. "Who's there?" I shouted.

_Why so serious? You just got some girl's life and the fate of an entire world on your shoulders. No pressure. But hey, if you got the time, I can help you with one of those, man. _

He was mocking me. The asshole was mocking me. And I was furious. "Stay out of my life," I told him. "Go find something else to do! I don't have time for your mind games!"

_Chill a cycle, Red Dharma. Just saying that you got some of your time to spare, your GF there gets a _"Get out of Jail Free" _card. Along with Chung, too. If you wanna._

The impact of his words almost knocked me back like they were physical. I could just do what this guy wanted, and be free. Aisha could be free. So could Chung.

_Oh, yeah, all this and more! Your gray-haired Nasod chick, too. Just for this liiiiittle favor…and it's all yours. _

I realized. "Hang on. Are you tricking me?"

_'Tis no joke. It's the word of a Lucifer…I wouldn't lie. So, you gonna hear the terms, little man? _The voice sounded so easygoing. So relaxed. I could trust this guy, no problem. Then, yet again, I halted myself. "You just put those thoughts in my head, you lying bastard," I growled. "I'm not going to hear your BS. So if you'll excuse me…"

_If I appear to ya, you gonna see this as legit?_

Before I could respond, the air in front of me shimmered, and a figure appeared. He looked 16, like us, but had hardened, timeless eyes that could have seen eons. His hair was black and reached the base of his neck. He suggested being in battle many times. He wore simple clothing, just a white T-shirt with an aqua and black-colored Celtic cross on it, and a scarf of the same color, along with black jeans. He wore black sandals made of...was that cork? To finish it, he had slightly tan skin. Black wings, the wings of a raven, were nested on his back. On his neck was a cross of ebony, super scribed with a red pentagram of ruby.

"Well?" he asked. "I'm not going to wait all day." Only later did I realize that his speech pattern had changed. "Who…who are you?" I asked.

"I'm a fallen angel, a Lucifer. Master of Lucifera Alpha, the ultimate heavenly power. My name is Siegris Uther-Pendragon…

"I came to make a deal."

…

_**Jigoku Incorporated: **_**PI-I3312 I]4 6I-I057 3\/3 (Fear the Ghost Eve)**

Me: After _all that _this short-ass chapter is all I got done. Scheise.

Prototype: That chapter name is genius.

Me: Of course it is!

Prototype: *Excalibur face*

Me: Yachatta!

Prototype: And trust you to use physics in Elsword. Plus, Alterasia Type H is _way _too intelligent there.

Me: I don't know about that. It always knew _exactly _when to interrupt my chain combos and kill me with Storm Blade. "70 Hits! 71-Ugh! God damn it!"

Prototype: You would.

Me: MOVING ON, Sieg only has two job changes.

Prototype: But every character has three.

Me: SHUT THE HELL (ha) UP! SIEG REPRESENTS GOOD, OR EVIL! YOU'RE SAYING THAT'S THREE CONCEPTS?!

Prototype: NO!

Me: THEN SHUT UP!

-Tenshi [Never uses] (Holy magic user, has no evil power)

* Ascended Tenshi (This class shows mastery of holy power. Being near an Ascended Tenshi can heal the soul.)

* Or can switch to Lucifer, because Angels can become evil.

-Lucifer [Uses] (Some holy magic, but mostly dark and evil magic.)

* Hell's Mandate (Being near this class can cause people to go insane when exposed too long. This class shows mastery of absolute void and dark magic. (Twisted beyond comprehension.)

Some skills he has:

-Abyss Break  
-Nightmare Discord  
-Rapturous Deluge  
-Millenium Alpha

-Grand Chariot

Prototype: What a description.

Me: Yeah, if you dissected a Lucifer, its heart would be black.

Prototype: Ha! That's a good one!

Me: *Deadpan*

Prototype: …oh.

Me: :D

Prototype: :D

Me: :D

Prototype: :D

Eve: PI-I3312 I\/I3! (Fear me!) I'm a ghost! Ooh! *Waves arms*

Me: D:

Prototype: Eve's dead?

Me: Yes…but I think the question here is how you manifested so far from Hell.

Eve: I thought this was the closest comparison to Hell I could find. _Waffle Point! _*Fistpump*

Me: …touché.

Prototype: *Flips Eve the bird* Why are you dead!

Eve: …It wasn't my decision…

Me: It was mine! :D

Eve: D: I'm so hurt.

Aisha: I'm dead too, and this place is worse than Hell. *Flops onto ground*

Raven: I'm still two weeks in the future! :D

Me: :D Time travel! _Waffle Point to Raven! _

Raven: I don't want your damn waffle points.

Eve: D:

Aisha: *Falls asleep* Good…night…

Eve: *Disappears* Oh glob! I can't…stay…much…lon…ge…r…

Raven: *Distorts out of time* Crap! Quantum backfire!

Prototype: *Activates wrist watch and teleports*

Me: *Sprouts bat wings and flies away*

CHAPTER END. t(D:)t


	10. Chapter Seven - Lucifer

Chapter 7 – Lucifer

Elsword POV

"You know," I said, getting annoyed, "the last time someone popped up out of the blue and said that, bam, catastrophe. So no, I won't…"

"Silence," Sieg's imperious voice cut me off, like a command had wormed its way into my neural impulses and forced me to obey. "'If you do not listen, you cannot learn,' said one of the great philosophers of my time – me.

"Now then…where was I? Oh, yeah. If I want, right _now _I can just snap my fingers, blam, everyone's free. The Nasod chick, and your bishounen friend 'Seiji.' However, your other friend, Aisha, you have to save yourself. This whole episode will never have existed. But _my conditions _will present themselves once I help you guys out. Well…? I ain't got all day. I still have a job, you know." Sieg stared at me expectantly. "Now say it, if you want; I…make…the…trade," he told me, annunciating each word.

_What to do? He won't tell me his terms until I finish the job. That's a bit dodgy. But maybe I can take advantage of that kind of deal, and escape…_I thought. _Okay, then. Here we go…_

"I…make the trade," I said, hoping I wouldn't regret it. Sieg grinned sinisterly, sending an insidious chill down my spine.

"Incantation 23: Crimson Steeple," he closed his eyes and said, stretching out his palm. A black pentagram, laced with a red glow and runes that read terrible messages, carved itself into the empty air. Sieg began to chant in many tones:

_Discord. Mayhem. Havoc. Murder. Apocalypse._

As he resumed his chant, through the orange glow of the fires consuming this future image of Elrios below, a bright crimson light washed out in a wave, obscuring vision. Then the chant changed:

_Strike at light when darkness gathers,_

_Devour hope when faith gathers,_

_By the will of the Ancients…_

_I pronounce these who commit sin…_

_Who would defy God…_

_I reclaim their souls from oblivion._

_I testify against the accusers._

_I declare these Sinners… _

The light changed to black void, and whispers of the Searchers, or Sleepless ones, began restlessly muttering. Sieg finished his chant, with one final word.

_Renewed. _

The void collapsed, layer on layer, and faded away. The Sleepless Ones' voices faded Then I averted my gaze. We were in the same place, above Elrios' burning husk, but lying before me were the sleeping bodies of Eve…and Chung.

"What the…?!" I cried out. Sieg glanced at me. "What? Did you doubt the most potent Lucifer of all time? Tsk tsk. Amazing the things you can do with a little…" he raised one finger, and on the end of it, a ball of antimatter – the type you can actually see in this world - gathered. "…darkness." He closed his fist, and snuffed the antimatter.

"So…" I began, "now you'll take me to Mugetsu?" Sieg nodded.

"It will be as you wish," Sieg smirked darkly. "Or as I wish,"

"What do you mean, as you-"

"Hell Word: Empty Sky." Sieg thrust his palm downward, and a crack opened in space, revealing only darkness within. Then the crack widened, and I was sucked into it as its inescapable gravity pulled me down.

"See you on the flip side, Elsword." Sieg disappeared, along with the burning world of Elrios. _Till we meet again, _his voice echoed through my skull. I turned my head downward, to see an even darker abyss looming ahead, and plunged into the unknown depths of Mugetsu.

Aisha's POV

I sat up, dazed. I slowly remembered what happened…the Sleepless Ones…cold…and pain. As I moved, the black and red chains on my body shifted, producing a mournful metallic clang through the abyss. _Chains?_

Then I remembered. The chains…Seiij had had them, and had been bound by them as a sign that he was…dead. But wait – where was Seiji? I noticed that he was gone…

I slammed my fist down, onto the nonexistent floor. Now even Seiji was gone. I was effectively doomed. I lose. Then I heard a voice, calling in the darkness. "Aisha…" It sounded familiar, like…

Elsword came out of the mist, reaching out for me. "Aisha!" Elsword…!

"Elsword?! What are you…?"

He grabbed me. "There's no time to explain, but we have to go, now. And I can get us out."

"No, you can't," I said quietly, mournfully. "It's too late, Elsword."

"It's too late? What do you mean?" He quizzically looked at me. "Aisha…"

I held up my chains, and he drew back. "I'm sorry, Elsword," I told him. "They got me."

He shook his head. "Come with me," he lifted me up, and carried me. "What…?!" I asked, shocked.

"Like I said," Elsword gritted his teeth. "There's no time."

"But there's also no way up! How are we going to…" I was cut off by his curt reply.

"Right. There's no way _up…_but Seiji…or should I say, Chung…" I stiffened in surprise. Chung?! "told me the way. The only way to progress…is to go _down._"

I realized. Hell was cut off from space, but still operated like any dungeon…there had to be a way out. No sooner had I realized this than a piercing scream echoed through the gloom. Elsword flinched, and shuddered, and I realized that he was about to fall victim to my fate as well. "Elsword, the attacks are mental…close your mind!" I urged. He closed his eyes, following my directions, and kept running. He picked up speed now too, oblivious to the tortured cries. However, the cold was closing in.

Suddenly, a red light appeared out of the darkness. It surrounded a person who appeared to be sixteen. His hair was black, and reached the base of his neck. He wore a white T-shirt with an aqua Celtic cross on the front, along with black jeans. On his neck was a cross of ebony, super scribed with a red pentagram of ruby, and on his back were the wings of a raven, folded. I noticed that the cold had faded, and the Sleepless Ones were gone.

"Good to see you, Elsword. Now we…" he was cut off as Elsword shouldered past him. "Hey-!" He began angrily, and turned around.

"Not so good to see you," Elsword muttered, a bit nervously. Then I noticed he was preparing to jump into a hole in the ground, a few hundred feet away at minimum, which shone with blue light. Out of curiosity, I looked over my shoulder. Except what I saw was _not _good.

"Elsword…that was not a good move," I whispered.

"What wasn't?" He seemed in a bit of a better mood now.

I inclined my head in the direction from which we had come. Elsword looked, and swore.

Following us was the one Elsword had just pushed past, except he was gaining, and around him was a red aura that looked like the Aura of Destruction, but felt much darker than that.

"_**Get back here…you god damn humans…"**_ I heard a demonic voice hiss all around us. The portal was now much closer, but so was the strange boy. "Shit…" Elsword muttered under his breath. The portal was 50 feet away…40 feet away…

"_**Hell Word: Imperious Night!" **_The voice echoed. Instantly, fear closed over my heart, so intense, I just wanted to kill myself. "Elsword, stop…" I couldn't tell what I was afraid of, but it was so horrible, I couldn't sanely deal with it…20 feet away…10 feet away…

Suddenly, I felt the horrible aura of the boy behind me, and I was snapped out of my fear. _**"Too late,**_" his voice hissed. Suddenly, Elsword threw me ahead, and I landed in the portal, just in time to see him clash with the demon. "Elsword…!" I shouted, reaching for him.

"Hold on, Aisha," he shouted back, over the laugh of the...Lucifer? "I'll see you again soon!" Then the blue light washed over me, and that was the last I saw of Elsword.

I awoke in a clearing, outside of Ruben village. My chains were gone, but I felt a terrible pain in my side. Then I looked down. "You've…got to be…kidding me," I groaned, through the pangs of my injury.

It was a wound the Sleepless Ones had given me. With this…I would die in minutes. And then I'd be back where I started. But wait – approaching me was Raven.

Raven! I could ask for Raven's help! But first I had to follow him…

Elsword's POV

"Really, I couldn't have asked for better circumstances," Sieg said in a dark voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I glared at him, my sword at the ready.

"You know, I was just going to have you run simple errands for me, but instead, you went and tried to circumvent my will. So instead, I get your soul. Which, to be honest, is a much…bet_te__**r**__…__**idea. So to thank you, I'll make your death as painful as possible!" **_Sieg lunged again. In his hand appeared a black katana, of meteoric iron, that glowed red and had a red tassel dangling from the end of the hilt. On the blade were the runes _Eater of Worlds._

As our blades clashed, and surprisingly I was being pushed back, until I used more strength and forced him to jump back, stabbing for his stomach. Instead, he took a side stance, withdrew so that my blade missed him by so little that I could barely see the gap. Then he did a half somersault onto my sword, landing with his back to me, and lashed out – and struck – with a back kick to my face. I stumbled back, but as Sieg lunged again, I shouted, "Luna Blade!"

A huge, blue sword appeared above me, then shot downwards. Sieg took the force of the attack, being unable to dodge, and grunted. "Ngh…!" but wasn't done yet. As far as I could tell, this guy had durability near Ran's. He flipped back up and dashed again, and this time his black sword glowed red. He struck a series of rapid stabs, all of which I blocked with an eerie moaning clang, but then Sieg bicycle kicked my sword up, still in my arm, but with enough force that I would have to regain my balance. In midair, he shouted, "_**Millenium Alpha**_!"

The red glow around his sword spread to the sword itself, and he kicked down from the air. Just as I regained my balance, a slash like a wall of red energy slammed into me, and began to tear me apart. I endured the assault, but for long enough that I lost my concentration. I was dizzy. I could make out a black blur, which I just barely fended off, but it was followed by more, and more. I was beginning to regain my vision, my strikes getting more confident. Soon, I began to push Sieg back again. However, even as the flat of my blade caught his stomach, winding him, even as I began to begin to defeat him, striking again and again, meeting my mark, I saw him muttering under his breath, head bowed. Strangely enough, it reminded me of what he did with Eve and Chung…

Then I realized what he was doing. I jumped back, but then his head snapped back up and he shouted, "_**Hell Word: Imperishable Abyss!" **_

Instantly, I was plunged into darkness. I couldn't hear, either. I felt a slash up the front of my body, and I knew it was terrible. Seconds later, my vision came back, and I knew I was in trouble. He smirked at me. "_**Well? Any last resorts before I destroy you completely?" **_

"Actually, I only have a question. What are you?" I asked, panting.

_**"I already told you that on the third level of Hell. I'm a Lucifer."**_ He sighed. _**"Obviously you're now so addled you can't remember anything. I shouldn't have pressed you so hard." **_

__"No, that's not it. You feel so ancient, so horrible, I can't even think about your aura without shuddering. You're some demon from the darkest abyss. I know it's true because even Lucifer…" I paused. "Even Lucifer can use light powers."

"_**Oh, that. Not me. But you're actually right. Normal angels are born of rays of pure light, but I was born of the deepest darkness. I'm an Ancient horror so deplorable that none can fathom my soul without going mad." **_Sieg then laughed, like Glaive. It was, to say the least, insanely creepy.

_**"But I digress. It's the end of you, now." **_He leveled his blade at my neck. _**"Nightmare Discord." **_

__Those next moments felt like decades. I felt my soul bursting, literally, from all my sins flashing before my eyes and taking a piece of my soul with each and every one. Mental and physical agony was all I knew for the next seconds – but it could have been thousands of years. All joy drained away. All life drained away. I felt my body turn to gray ash, and fade away as a blue mist coiled out my throat and passed into his sword, the _Eater of Worlds. _Everything turned to blackness, and my body felt cold.

_**"Farewell, Elsword…" **_

_In the present…_

Raven's POV

"So, now you're here, and you want me to do _what _exactly…?" I asked Aisha, who had tears in her eyes remembering the last she saw of Elsword, who had vanished, possibly forever.

"It's been days since I heard from him, if I count today. Meaning…he probably lost…" Aisha's voice broke. I banged my fist down, startling Aisha and breaking the table next to me.

"Impossible," I growled under my breath. "Elsword can't lose…"

"Raven…" Aisha attempted to calm me down, but failed.

"Impossible," I said louder, in a voice of spite. "Not POSSIBLE!" I jumped up and swept out of the room, remembering only the look of pain on Aisha's face.

As I walked through Ruben, I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. I'd just abandoned someone who had needed me more than ever now. But it wouldn't stay that way. I'd find the entrance to Hell. I'd drag back Elsword kicking and screaming if I had to. And I would, for sure, pulverize that demon…

_**Jigoku Incorporated – Oh my gooood! **_

Prototype: Oh my god. Sieg just killed Elsword.

Me: .O.

Prototype: Can I hear the music you were listening to while you typed that?

Me: Here. *gives Prototype the earbuds*

Prototype: OH LORD. THAT MUSIC IS PERFECT.

Me: Should I tell them what it is?

Prototype: NO. OH GOD NO. THAT WAS SCARY.

Me: …okay then.

Rena: Where am I?! You used everyo-

Me: Except Ara Hann.

Rena: True enough.

Raven: I'm back. *Turns to me* Your time machine is faulty!

Me: I did that on purpose.

Raven: …what?

Me: I fscked up that time machine on purpose. Because it would _suck _if anyone found it.

Sieg: HEY HUMANSSSSS TROLOLOL.

Me: Who let you in. Don't seriously make this into another thing where everyone tries to fit in here.

Chung: I'm alive!

Aisha: You abandoned me!

Chung: …though not for long.

Eve: I am alive as well…scanners indicate hostility in the direction of a certain "Red Dharma."

Me: Shut up. Why does everyone call me that?!

Elsword: Sieg killed me!

Sieg: That's right, I killed you. And soon I will kill Raven, and etc etc etc etc etc whatever etc.

Me: You look depressed…PH34R M4H m4D P4N75K47! /photos/images/original/000/141/790/pantskat_by_ ?1309373140

Sieg: NO! MY EYES! THIS IS WORSE THAN IMPERISHABLE ABYSS! FUUU

Sieg was banned.

Me: Okay, now that this is settled. I hope everyone saw where Aisha's timeline connects to where she reunited with Raven. Also because she was not there, she doesn't know that Elsword lost.

Elsword: Mimblewimblegrrfrrsnmikaritt lerabbitsunovebiutch…*general angry mutterings*

Me: …


	11. Chapter 8 - The Final Battle

Chapter 8: The Final Battle

_**Premature Jigoku Incorporated Section**_

Me: This is it. This is the one with Sieg vs Raven in it. This time, _this time _I'm not going to fscking leave you hanging as soon as Raven finds Sieg. That would be un-fscking-believably rude.

Prototype: So your swearing isn't rude?  
Me: By that logic, you're not very polite either.

Rena: Children. Hmph.

Me: Good news, you're in this one.

Me: Oh, and from now on, I'm talking with Sollux's lii2p.

Rena: Squee!

Me: _**You'll 2ee…**_

Rena: O.O

Me: Oh, and thii2 tiime you get to hear the mu2iic I lii2tened to when I typed the _fiight. _:D

Me: They're mo2tly biindiing of ii2aac 2oundtrack2. "The Binding of Isaac: Unholy Assault," "The Binding of Isaac: My Innermost Apocalypse" and "Lost Odyssey - Roar of the Departed Souls." Whatever. 2iince the damn liink2 are cen2ored.

Prototype: I noticed, even your Pantskat picture was not seen, unless people looked at that obscure part of the link and deciphered what the pic was of.

Me: You do not under any 2iircum2tance eat the miind honey.

Sieg's POV

My sword shook. Apparently the foolish boy was still resisting my will…should I go put him down for a while? Eh, I had nothing to do at the moment, anyway…

I turned into a shadow, and entered the Eater of Worlds. Inside, it was a black sand beach on an ocean of blood. I found the blue-glowing soul of Elsword hammering against the ground, and using Luna Blade on the rocks below, hoping to get out. I sighed, then teleported in front of him. "Watch out…" I started.

Elsword turned and swung at me, but instead I caught his sword, and effortlessly broke it into shards of steel. "There's someone behind you," I finished. His shocked face almost made me feel bad for him. Sort of. Instantly, he fell onto the ground, unable to move. The sword had represented his courage and will. Without it…

I carried him over to the waves, where the faces of shadowed and tortured spirits wailed, and whispered. As I dropped Elsword's body into the waves, his body dissolved, and turned red like the rest of the ocean. Maliciously I grinned, and strode away.

I opened my eyes, back in Mugetsu. Eater of Worlds lay in front of me. I picked it up, and noticed it wasn't shaking anymore. "Had you just kept quiet," I said half to no one in particular, "You wouldn't have been cast down…"

Raven's POV:

Still, no sign that anyone knew about Hell, let alone how to travel there. After hours of searching, now in Altera, still nothing…until I talked to the elder Pongo, Adel.

"Wahh, get away, Pong!" Adel scrambled back, obviously displeased by something.

"What is is, Adel?" I asked. Then I noticed his eyes were fixed on the cross hanging from my neck.

"That…that thing, pong…" he swallowed. "That is the entrance you so clearly desire, pong."

"Entrance? What are you…" Until I caught myself! The cross actually seemed to carry a heavy presence, like the one Aisha had described, since yesterday. On top of it all, it was now a black and red color, like the demon's aura Aisha had told me of. "Wait. It all makes perfect sense," I realized aloud. "This cross…" I took it into my hands and looked into it. The sounds of tortured spirits began to sound, echoing through my skull. I was looking into the entire realm of Hell, all at once. "It's a gateway…"

"Correct, Pong," Adel confirmed. "All you must do is imagine it, channel your thoughts of passing through it into Hell into it, and you will be wherever in the realm you wish to be, pong.

"The only question is, are you ready, Raven, pong?" Adel looked deep into my eyes. "You may never see the world of the living again, pong…"

I began to think, about what awaited me…what empowered horrors I would face…my innermost fears, darkness, and madness…

**Do not think, **the voice of darkness that spoke to me in my head urged me. "**When facing severe stakes with resolution, act before you can cast aside that resolution," said a philosopher of long ago…**

_Great to hear, voice of madness, _I cracked a smile. Then I regained my serious expression. "I'm ready," I told Adel.

"Then may our spirits all be with you, pong," Adel nodded. "Now go, with the will of your friends behind you, pong."

At his empowering words, my soul blazed. "Yes," I said. I held the cross, and closed my eyes…

"Wait!" said one male (maybe) voice.

"Wait!" said another voice, which sounded like…

I turned around, and saw Eve and Chung running towards me.

"We heard you'd be here," Chung said breathlessly, as he and Eve caught up to me.

"Yes. And we came to offer our support," Eve added.

Eve and Chung…they'd already been to that place, and seen the terrors within…to think that they would come with me, to regain our friend…

"Well then, place your hand on my shoulder, and let's go," I told them. They did as such, and I concentrated on the cross. I imagined the three of us passing through it, into the vacuum of Mugetsu. A cold feeling began to spread across my body, and I was moving at incredible speed, yet not going anywhere. Then we stopped, and Chung shuddered. "Well…I'm back, it seems."

I opened my eyes. I saw nothing, except Eve, Chung, and the abyss. "Well, guys, now to find who's taken Elsword," I said. "Based on Aisha's description…" I told them what Sieg looked like.

Eve swallowed. "Would this young man have a black sword?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "You know him?" I asked.

"Just one more thing," Eve shakily said. "Would he also have a strange, heavy pressure hanging in the air around him, and a red aura?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess. Why?" Why was Eve so afraid? You'd have thought he was…no, that was impossible…

Eve just pointed, and as I looked, I realize my previous train of thought hadn't been impossible. It actually finished, you'd have thought he was _standing right behind me. _

Directly where Eve was pointing, stood the Lucifer that Aisha had described, to the _letter. _He was glaring directly at our group. "I thought you would never come," he said, striding over to me. "But I _really _didn't think they would come. How ungrateful of you…I bring you back, and you try to kill me…"

"Shut up. 'How ungrateful,' my ass. Elsword just wants his friends back, and you take his soul for it? You shouldn't even…" Chung suddenly stiffened and was silent.

"Silence, human," Sieg's voice suddenly turned demonic. "Don't talk to me about divine law until you've spent 1,251,053 years practicing it."

"That is irrelevant," Eve's voice said. "The only thing that matters is that you have our friend, and that you must give him back to us." Through her words, Sieg had been muttering under his breath. It made me remember Aisha's words, but I couldn't put my finger on why…

"You want him? Then take him from my cold, dead body, Nasod bitch," Sieg finished muttering and snarled. At his malicious tone, Eve's eyes turned red. "_Much obliged,_" she said, voice monotone.

"Eve, no!" I shouted.

Eve suddenly stopped and turned to me. "Wha-what happened to me…?"

"He's warping your mind…using his mental powers of madness embodied in words…" I glared at Sieg.

"Oh boy…that purple-haired broad tattled on me…looks like I lost the element of surprise…or not. I can do so much with my words…even screw with Nasods…" Eve suddenly shuddered and staggered as Sieg leveled his glare at her. "Ngh…"

"Stop!" Chung rushed forward. Sieg leveled his weapon at Chung's face. Chung brought up his cannon, and quicker than I could follow, leveled it at the Lucifer. "Victory Shot!"

"Flash Step," Sieg blurred in and out of the cannon's shot. In the distance, a massive blue explosion flashed. The pressure was incredible.

"Heh heh ha ha ha…" Sieg's Glaive-like laugh echoed though the darkness. "That could have actually hurt, but it doesn't matter how strong you are…if you can't touch me." But Chung wasn't finished. He swung the cannon downwards, landing a blow to Sieg's head. Sieg was stunned for a second, but when Chung was about to shoot him again, he waited until Chung shot, and then high-kicked the cannon. The shot, needless to say, missed. And while Chung was vulnerable, Sieg held back his slash, and barely grazed Chung's front. Chung jumped back and rejoined us. "That's incredible," he gritted his teeth.

"Interesting. It should be working by now…" Sieg chuckled.

"What should-"I began, but was interrupted by a pained shout from Chung. He was holding the cut Sieg gave him, which shouldn't have hurt as much as Chung reacted. "Agh…"

Eve knelt down. "Analyze…" After a few seconds she got back up. "My scan indicates that part of Chung's soul has been taken away, no more or less than the area of that cut."

"What?!" I knelt down, and touched the cut. However, there was nothing there. But Chung got up, breathing heavily. "It's all right," he said. "I'm…fine. That was surprising." He loaded the cannon again. "We've all got to go at once. He's too good for any one of us, at least right now."

"Yes," Eve agreed.

"All right," I said. With that, we turned back around and faced Sieg.

"Are you all finished with your little conference? Good, because while I was standing there waiting, you gave me time. Too much for your own good." He twirled his weapon, which became a black circle as he began turning it. The circle slowly began glowing red. When the circle faded away, he was holding a double edged sword, with no guard separating the blade from the hilt, but the blade was the width of the hilt.

"Let's go," I growled. The three of us leapt forward to meet him.

"This ends now," Sieg insidiously grinned. A red wave of spirits rose up behind him, and one of the ones I saw was Elsword. I had a feeling Sieg had done that on purpose. Then the spirits faded, and his body glowed red. He jumped forward, meeting my strike with inhuman strength. He shoved me back, but it was enough time for Chung to hit him from behind. However, he didn't flinch, but instead waited until I came back again, and then split-kicked us.

I skidded back, and finally managed to ground myself 10 or so meters away. Chung did the same, but just then Eve came from behind Sieg, and shouted, "Genetic Black Hole!" Only then did Sieg actually flinch. "Gh…" he grunted, and stumbled. But when the three of us all simultaneously aimed powerful attacks at him…

"Nuclear!" I shouted.

"Artillery Strike!" Chung shouted.

"Atomic Blaster!" Eve shouted.

"Keh. Organics…" Sieg's red glow turned black. Then he jumped up into the air. "Abyss Break!" he shouted.

Before we could get our attacks off, a burst of black energy in the shape of a cross spread from his body, seeming like it burned, yet froze, simultaneously. But all I knew was, it was a terrible feeling. The energy thinned and spread out, gradually lessening. However, the feeling stuck with me. I got up, but my muscles seemed to protest, shaking.

Eve got up with no problem, but Chung and I both had trouble. "What is the matter?" Eve asked.

"That attack…it had some strange effect on my muscles…" I said, noticing that my Nasod arm moved just fine.

"Not the muscles, the soul," Sieg explained. "What sense would that make? Your brain is a muscle, and so is your heart, but those aren't erratic at the moment. The soul is the puppeteer for the body. If you weaken the puppeteer's grip, the puppet…" Sieg formed a small antimatter ball in his hand. "Falls." He dropped the ball.

"No!" Eve put up a shield, to protect from the terrible blast of raw energy from the antimatter. When it subsided, the shield crumbled away, but only just barely after the blast faded. However, it was enough for my soul to regenerate. "All right!" I shouted, leaping forward. "Nuclear!" I brought my hand down, and a lance-like missile came down from the sky. It hit Sieg, who stumbled, before the blast. Then he took the full force of the red explosion. When the immense blast subsided, he landed, scarred. Disappointingly, he was already back up. _Damn, _I thought. Then I saw Chung behind him. "Artillery Strike!" Chung shouted.

A deadly hail of missiles all combusted, shaking the realm. The blue light obscured my vision of Sieg, however…

"Let us not give him a chance to recover," Eve began. "Atomic-"

_**NOT SO FAST. **_

Sieg suddenly appeared behind Eve, almost down for the count, but still very much alive. Eve turned around, and let out a shocked sound…Sieg leveled the Eater of Worlds at her throat…

_**NIGHTMARE DISCORD. **_

__Suddenly, Eve's irises disappeared completely. She fell to the ground, clutching her heart. I tried to run forward, but I couldn't. Her body turned gray, and dissolved. A blue mist coiled out of her throat and disappeared into the sword. Sieg threw back his head and laughed, sounding as if darkness could speak. No one…no one could subject someone to such a horrible fate and actually enjoy it.

"NO!" I ran forward, and brought down my sword. Sieg blocked my strike, though it jarred him. Still, though, he'd regained most of his strength by absorbing Eve's soul…

He brought his glowing sword through the ground, and then up in a deadly crimson arc. I sidestepped as a crescent blast of red energy erupted along the strike, and shot into the distance, leaving a scream behind, echoing through the void. Chung followed me, and together we fought bitterly, striking again and again, leaving him no chance to attack, but Sieg's defense was too good. Finally he saw an opening between our strikes, to his neck, and to his legs. He jumped up, spinning sideways in between the two attacks, and slashed my Nasod Arm. Then he slashed Chung's front. Chung fell backwards, immobilized.

It didn't hurt, but no sooner had I jumped back and Sieg landed than the arm suddenly dropped. I couldn't move it. Sieg smirked. _**"Humans…I'd forgotten how satisfying it was…to personally cut you down…like how I nearly destroyed your race 1,000,000 years ago…" **_

__"You did what?!" I charged again, and Sieg's blade met mine. It felt like the soul of this ancient horror was tugging at my sanity, even as our blades clashed.

_**"Oh yes, I did. I killed all of you bastards…unfortunately some stray demons tattled on me to Satan…and stopped me. So I'm biding my time, waiting until I rise again…but this time I'm going to kill all demons…and I don't think any humans or angels are going to care. And then, when they're all gone…" **_Sieg's sword glowed red, and I sidestepped again as the same burst of crescent energy shot from his sword and left behind its eerie screech. I finally managed to slash his front, but he waved a hand over the wound. The blood turned black and hardened.

_**"Then I'll kill all humans, and this time no one is going to stop me..." **_Sieg outstretched his hand. "_**Hell Word: Grounded Sin!" **_

My legs were immediately fastened to the ground by hands of shadow that reached up from the ground and grabbed me. I still had mobility of everything else, at least.

Sieg then back flipped into the air, and stabilized his rotation. Behind him formed 15 red spears, with rotating blades and a hilt that had three demon wings rotating around it. _**"Rapturous Deluge," **_he growled, then charged forward. _**"Pursuance of Sin!" **_Three of the spears flew at me. I slashed at the hands holding my legs, which disappeared, and jumped back, as the three spears landed where I'd been a heartbeat ago, impaling themselves in the ground, making it shake, Then they melted and vanished.

Sieg called another three of them to his sword's motions. _**"Three Grievances," **_he said. When my sword met his next, one spear shot forward, crushing the Nasod arm as I moved aside, and sending a concussive pressure through my body. The spear vanished. He brought his sword up, and slashed down. I blocked sideways, and the remaining two spears flew toward me, aiming for my head and midsection as I jumped away. The spears missed, and vanished into the distance. Sieg scowled.

_**"You're fast," **_he commended me. _**"But what about this?" **_He moved his hands in a circular motion, and the spears lined up in a circular manner, each one forming one part of an 8-pointed sun shape, with the last one going in the middle. As I watched, the spears glowed, then merged into the middle spear, which turned black, with red stripes and runes running through it. Around it were eight glowing rings.

_**"United Repellence!" **_With strain, he brought the spear back. Just how dense was it? Then he launched it at me. I ran forward in Awakening state, and then dodged the spear. But behind me, the spear only lost one of its rings, and came back again. I was unprepared, and the Nasod core absorbed some of the shock, but the spear was so dense that I was blown backward. The spear lost another ring, but kept coming.

Then I noticed Sieg's body was doing nothing, just kneeling on the ground. Was it possible that…he was unable to move in the spear's activation? _Yes, _I thought. _It's the tradeoff for having such a powerful attack…_I jumped toward him, and brought my sword up for the kill. However, the lance got in front of me, and then stopped. My blade hit the lance, and shuddered under the pressure. The spear now had only 5 rings left now. I brought my sword up. "Archenemy!" I yelled.

Four Nasod lances appeared behind me. I slashed the spear again once, thrusting it back. Four rings…I slashed again, leaving it no chance to retaliate…Three…I thrust to negate its force…Two…I slashed one final time, with the sword, and then an impossibly powerful blow with the lance. The spear shattered, and formed again into a sword. Sieg's eyes snapped open.

_Crap, _I thought. _I should have saved another lance…_

_**"HERE YOU ARE, HUMAN…THIS IS IT!" **_Sieg swept my legs out from under me, and whirling back around, stabbed the wrist that held my sword. I landed, blinded with pain, the pain of my soul being overshadowed. My sword skittered away. "Agh…"

I looked up into Sieg's twisted features, devoid of sanity. He leveled his sword at my neck. _Here it comes, _I thought through my agony. _The same fate that befell Elsword and Eve…_

But then Sieg got a confused look on his face. His sword began to shudder. He looked back down at it. _**"What the…?!" **_

Eve's POV

I awakened on a black sand beach, overlooking a sea of blood. I saw black faces in the water, fading in and out, wearing tortured expressions. The sky was red, with gray clouds and black lightning flashing through the clouds. _Where am I…_Then I saw Elsword, sitting on a rock beside the sea, along with Rena. I ran over to them. "Elsword! Rena!"

They turned to me, forlorn expressions on their faces. "So, he got you too, huh?" Rena spoke with a downcast tone as if she'd given up living.

"What do you mean? Where is this?" I looked at my hands, which glowed slightly blue. I could slightly see the ground below my body. "What…"

"This is the inside of the Eater of Worlds. The sword of the ancient fiend Siegrisell Uther-Pendragon, scourge of light. He took our souls in, and broke us. Both of us…" Elsword sighed and looked down. I noticed they didn't have weapons, but I still had my drones.

"Why is it that you are not armed?" I inquired.

"Our will. He broke it. Our armaments in soul form represent our will. Quicker than I can even tell you of, he appeared, and so easily just reached out and shattered my will…" Rena shuddered.

"We cannot give up," I insisted. "Raven is out there, fighting for his life against Sieg…"

"Raven?" Elsword said. Some of the light came back to his eyes. "Raven came for us?"

"Yes," I told him. "Rena…do you wish to be trapped in this precipice world forever? Where is the resolve I remember you with?"

"I…" Rena looked up, a fierce look in her eyes. "Yes. I'll fight." A bow appeared in her hand.

"As will I," said Elsword, courageous beyond words. A two-handed sword appeared in his hands."

"Let's go," they said. "**Together.**"

The ground began to shake. Our bodies stopped glowing blue, and turned to pure light. Then everything went white, and we reappeared in Mugetsu.

Raven's POV

Sieg fell to the ground clutching his sword arm. "_**N**_**g**h…" He grunted in pain, as the Eater of Worlds turned white, and released three human-shaped rays of light. They faded in, and it was Elsword, Eve, and Rena. Rena notched an arrow, and aimed it at Sieg. Eve charged a blue energy in front of her, and Elsword assumed the Aura of Destruction. Chung got up, and loaded his cannon. I picked up my sword, and Awakened.

Sieg stopped clutching his sword arm, and the Eater of Worlds turned black and disappeared. His body hung limply from an invisible point. "_**God…fucking…damn it…after all the eons I've lived, I lose to some bunch of kids…"**_

__"NOW!" I shouted. Together, we all leapt and struck.

"Nuclear!"

"Atomic Blaster!"

"Fatal Fury!"

"Artillery Strike!"

"Phoenix Strike!"

All our attacks met the same point, causing a devastating quake through space. We all jumped back, and saw the aftermath.

Once the light faded, Sieg was still there. However…he wasn't moving. Then he got up shakily. _**"Damn…it…"**_He melted into shadow.

_Epilogue_

And with that final strike, life returned to normal. Sieg couldn't have died…if he had died he wouldn't just melt away. However, for a very long time, nothing was heard from him.

With that final strike, Hell was closed off from the world of Elrios. All was peaceful again, and even Ran chuckled a little bit when he sensed it.

Even though there is still darkness in the world, the heroes' resolve lightened it just a small bit, but enough.

And what would be Raven's only words, when asked about these horrible occurrences of the past?

"It was just what I'd been looking for, those five years since my last quest…"

_-The End-_

Me: And with that, this is the end. Thanks for all your support while I wrote this.

Sieg: Bye guy-oh scheice. *Disappears*

Rena: Farewell.

Elsword: Peace!

Aisha: Bye~!

Eve: Yes, Farewell.

Chung: Goodbye!

Raven: Farewell.


End file.
